Sorry if this topic has been beaten to death already...I'm looking at doing some backcountry thru-hiking next season out here in CO and suspect that some of the GPS devices in use for backcountry moto adventures might serve me well on foot as well...

Can the peanut gallery make recommendations on their favorite GPS device to use in the outback?

My experience with these devices is nil, but I have plenty of time to study up, practice, etc. There are ample paper maps for the hiking I'm gonna take to, but I'd like a backup/redundancy and some sort of immediate feedback as to my progress, etc.

I was looking at a wrist GPS/HR monitor combo in the Suunto Ambit, but want to get your opinions on the matter before I drop 5 bones on a device...

Agreed. The Garmin Oregon 450T/550T are the devices of choice in my opinion for your situation. Good setup would be the Oregon 450T or 550T for off road motorcycle riding/hiking along with adding CNNT 2013.3 map for street use. If any these units are selected, suggest adding the hard case to protect them. It includes a carabiner for attachment to your equipment.

I also have no experience with GPS units but figure I better get on-board before too long. While I don't hike much, my primary uses WOULD be off-road & remote, generally on a bike. The street map use would be an added bonus for the odd road trip.

So these Oregon units look pretty interesting, but using the Garmin comparison page I'm not seeing differences between the 450 & 550. Size, weight. memory, screens, battery life, etc. all seem the same.......

Also are the 'T" models with Garmin topos worth the $$? I have read there are better maps available cheaper (or free)

I LOVE my ambit. If you are looking for a full fledged GPS with detailed maps... It's not the GPS for you. If you want waypoint navigation, to know your position, basic route navigation, altitude, barometer, compass, heart rate, etc... It is sick. I use mine for tracking my cycling, both road and mountain. It tracks all sorts of metrics and displays them in an easy to understand and use site.

Check out Movescount.com and their new "app" page. They just opened up a whole new field of fun with app development for the watch.

I prefer a larger screen on my bike so the Garmin Montana 600 Series is the unit I use. When off the bike hiking I just change my unit profile to "hiking mode" and pop the Montana in my case that clips to my belt or shoulder strap of my daypack. If I want to get really picky about weight, I always have my Garmin fēnix watch - best battery life on the market for a full fledged GPS watch.